The Anti-Aging Mask That Will Make Your Vitamin C Serum Work Better

Here at The Klog, we’re really into acids, particularly vitamin C, aka ascorbic acid. Last year, the Cosrx Triple C Lightning Liquid came out and has become an obsession of ours ever since. It really does wonders when it comes to brightening skin, lightening acne scars, and fading hyperpigmentation. But it does have quite a high concentration of ascorbic acid (20.5%), so if you have more sensitive skin, we’ve also been super into the Klairs Freshly Juiced Vitamin C Serum (with 5% ascorbic acid) since basically forever.

It’s the cult favorite Freshly Juiced Vitamin C Serum that inspired Klairs to create its best-selling mask, the Freshly Juiced Vitamin E Mask. This mask is unlike any other mask out there because it was made specifically to boost the effects of vitamin C. Yes, this mask actually makes your vitamin C serum work faster and better. How does it do it? I tried the mask out and spoke with the team at Klairs to get the details on the mechanics behind it all.

What’s in the mask:

There are three main ingredients in this mask that make it special. The first one is obviously vitamin E, and it’s the one that matters the most when it comes to enhancing the effect of vitamin C. “Vitamin E is a powerful antioxidant that serves to protect the skin against external factors like pollution and sun damage,” says Klairs. “When applied, vitamin E absorbs the harmful UV rays; therefore, minimizing the damage done onto the skin. In addition, it helps with firming, tightening, and moisturizing the skin.”

It’s the fact that vitamin E absorbs damaging UV rays that allows it to make your vitamin C product work better. “Vitamin C helps stimulate collagen and absorb free radicals to prevent UV damage,” says Michele Farber, a dermatologist with the Schweiger Dermatology Group. “Vitamin E inhibits acute UV damage as well as chronic photoaging. Since vitamin C regenerates oxidized vitamin E and vitamin E potentiates the antioxidant effects of vitamin C, these vitamins work synergistically when in the same skin care formulations.”

In other words, they are a match made in heaven. “Both vitamin C and E are powerful antioxidants that put out the fires in the skin caused by free radical damage,” says Joshua Zeichner, the director of cosmetic and clinical dermatology at Mount Sinai Hospital. “The combination of the two is actually more effective than using either alone because they stabilize each other for enhanced effectiveness.”

You know how we always warn against using vitamin C during the day? And that if you do, you should most definitely slather on a good amount of sunscreen because vitamin C makes your skin more susceptible to the sun’s harmful rays? Well, since vitamin E stabilizes vitamin C, if you put this moisturizer on after you apply your vitamin C serum in the morning, your skin will be extra protected (but please still put sunscreen on after applying this mask). “The whole process prevents cell destruction and aging,” says Klairs.

But even if you don’t use a vitamin C serum on the regular, this mask reigns superior when it comes to packing in anti-aging ingredients. The fifth ingredient in the mask is niacinamide, AKA vitamin B3, which is one of the best brightening ingredients out there.

This mask also contains the maximum amount of the wrinkle-fighting ingredient adenosine that can safely be added to a skin care product. This superpower ingredient works to strengthen skin and promote collagen production, allowing for plumper and bouncier skin.

The texture and feel:

The Freshly Juiced Vitamin E Mask is actually one of the lightest masks I’ve ever encountered—it’s so light that it can easily double as a moisturizer. The consistency of the mask is super cool. It looks and feels like custard or pudding when you scoop it out with a spatula:

Klairs calls this unique texture “shape memory cream” and wants people to think of the cream as a memory form mattress, in that it will retain or “memorize” its original shape back in the jar after you’ve scooped it out. “The texture was created through a method of dissolving vitamin E in oil so the mask will holdpowerful moisturizing power,” says Klairs.”Due to the texture of the mask, it transforms into a rich essence when it comes into contact with the skin.”

I have to say, my first time trying the mask was pretty exciting because the texture is so different. Once it hits your skin, it immediately spreads and liquifies into a cool, gel-like moisturizer. However, it’s not slippery and doesn’t slide off your face. Thanks to the unique texture, you can actually feel the mask clinging to your skin and wrapping it in moisture. It feels lighter than a regular cream but heavier than a serum.

I’m also happy to report that the scent of the mask is pretty mild. I’m not a fan of heavily-scented products and thankfully Klairs never releases products with lots of fragrance. The Freshly Juiced Vitamin E Mask smells faintly of baby powder but mostly just like a “fresh” product with a clean scent.

How to use it:

I’m not exaggerating when I say every single skin type can use this mask (unless you’re sensitive to any of the ingredients in it). Because of its versatile texture and feel, the mask can be used as an overnight mask for oily or combination skin or as a nice, comforting moisturizer for normal and dry skin types.

The beauty of this mask is how fast it seeps into your skin, making it nice to use as a daytime moisturizer during these biting cold winter days. And if you want to use your vitamin C serum serum twice a day and start adding it to your morning routine (to heal those acne scars faster!), this is the moisturizer to reach for to shield your skin from the sun.

My first impressions of the mask:

I’ve been using the Klairs Freshly Juiced Vitamin E Mask as nighttime moisturizer for the past two weeks after I apply my vitamin C serum and I’ve definitely seen improvements when it comes to evening out my skin tone. I have normal skin that can get really dry (especially right now in this brutally cold winter) and this is the kind of mask that lets you wake up with bouncy, hydrated skin after a night sleeping in an overly heated apartment.

The mask works almost like a balm for your face, protecting it from environmental stressors and preserving your skin so that the effects of vitamin C can actually go to work and enhance your skin. So, if you’ve been wanting to try the Klairs Freshly Juiced Vitamin C Serum, or if you already swear by it, it would be a smart idea to pair it with the Freshly Juiced Vitamin E Mask for faster results and brighter, healthier-looking skin.

+ Have any questions about the Klairs Freshly Juiced Vitamin E Mask? Ask them below and we’ll answer!